Many fonts have abbreviations in their names. Some relate to glyph sets and font formats, others to design traits and foundries, and so on. A comprehensive list of these abbreviations and their explanation can be found in The Abbreviated Typographer on our blog.

A font utility published by Adobe that allowed computers to use PostScript Type 1 fonts. Since Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Apple Mac OS X natively support PostScript and thus do not require ATM, this PostScript font rasteriser has become obsolete on current computer systems. However, ATM Light is required for previous versions of Mac OS, including Mac OS X Classic, and for previous versions of Windows, including Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0.

AFM (Adobe Font Metrics)

A text file related to PostScript fonts that stores font metrics information such as character widths and kerning pairs. This file is often not needed as long as there is a PFM file (Windows format), so some fonts may come without an AFM file.

(appended to a font or volume name) Language support; includes all necessary accents and characters for Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian (also included in CE). The supported languages may vary a little depending on the foundry.

Baseline

The imaginary line upon which the letters in a font appear to rest.

Beak

A triangular, serif-like protrusion at the end of a stroke in certain serif type designs.

Bitmaps

The files contained in the Mac bitmap suitcase; part of the PostScript font, used for screen display on older systems with no built-in rasterization and not equipped with Adobe Type Manager. They are still necessary for display and printing. Also referred to as “screen fonts”.

Body

Originally the physical block on which each metal character sat, in digital type it is the imaginary area that encompasses each character in a font. The height of the body equals the point size; its width is related to the width of the character.

Bowl

The curved part of the character that encloses the circular or curved parts (counter) of some letters such as ‘d’, ‘b’, ‘o’, ‘D’, and ‘B’ is the bowl.

Bracket

The bracket is a curved or wedge-like connection between the stem and serif of some fonts. Not all serifs are bracketed serifs.

BS (Basque)

(appended to a font or volume name) Language support; includes all necessary accents for Basque.

The position of a number of punctuation marks like hyphens, brackets, slashes etc. is centered on the x-height of the lowercase letters. Fonts with case-sensitive punctuation also have slightly raised alternates of these characters that are centered on the cap height (the height of the capital).

When case-sensitive forms are built-in as OpenType features, certain (older) operating systems and applications will not be able to access them.

(appended to a font or volume name) Linotype’s “Communication” (or Com) fonts have been optimised for international communication and for use with Microsoft Office applications. They are TrueType-flavored OpenType fonts and are compatible with Mac and Windows operating systems. Com fonts support all languages defined as LEEC (Linotype Extended European Character set).

Instructions added to a TrueType font, allowing it to display nicely at any point size on screen. Delta hinting does not affect printing, nor is it available for PostScript fonts. Due to the extensive time required to create delta hints, most fonts do not include them. Delta hinting is a time-consuming and expensive process, but makes for quality TrueType fonts.

Descender

Any part in a lowercase letter that extends below the baseline, found for example in g, j, p, q, y, etc. Some types of descenders have specific names.

Diacritics

A diacritic is a ancilliary mark or sign added to a letter. Accents are one type of diacritics. In the Latin alphabet their function is to change the sound value of the letters to which they are added; in other alphabetical systems like Arabic or Hebrew they may indicate sounds (vowels and tones) which are not conveyed by the basic alphabet.

Display

A category of typefaces designed for decorative or headline use. As opposed to text typefaces, display typefaces are usually meant for larger settings.

(appended to a font or volume name) URW++ identify their Display fonts by adding the letter D after the font name.

Double-storey

A double-story ‘a’ or ‘g’ has two counters, as opposed to their single-storey variants which only have one counter.

Ear

Typically found on the lower case ‘g’, an ear is a decorative flourish usually on the upper right side of the bowl.

Embedding

When the viewer of a digital document is missing the font used to create this document, the text will display incorrectly. Embedding includes font information in a digital document, to ensure that the text is rendered with the font specified by the author. Some EULAs restrict embedding.

EOT (Embeddable OpenType)

File format developed by Microsoft to enable TrueType and OpenType fonts to be linked to web pages for download, to ensure that the text is rendered with the font specified by the author.

EULA (End User License Agreement)

As with most software, fonts are licensed to individuals and organizations. The EULA defines the terms and provisions for use of the font software. The EULA also indicates the number of CPUs the fonts may be installed on. The number of CPUs for which a font is initially licensed can vary depending on the manufacturer. Free fonts also come with a EULA.

A font that contains special characters, such as small caps, fractions, ligatures, extra accents, and alternateglyphs. Because TrueType and PostScript fonts only support a limited number of glyphs, some characters that are not used as frequently come in an expert font. OpenType fonts on the other hand have the capacity for thousands of glyphs, so one font can include all these extras plus other scripts etc.

Eye

Much like a counter, the eye refers specifically to the enclosed space in a lowercase ‘e’.

A collection of related typefaces which share common design traits and a common name. A type style means any given variant of this coordinated design and is the equivalent of a font or typeface. Super families are very extensive with a very large number of weights and widths. Type systems are collections of related type families that cross type classifications.

The OpenType font format offers numerous advanced typographic features. However it is up to the type designer or foundry to decide how many and which ones to implement. Feature-rich or fully-featured OpenType fonts have a large number of those advanced functionalities built in.

(also, fount) A collection of letters, numbers, punctuation, and other symbols used to set text (or related) matter. Although font and typeface are often used interchangeably, font refers to the physical embodiment (whether it’s a case of metal pieces or a computer file) while typeface refers to the design (the way it looks). A font is what you use, and a typeface is what you see.

A company that designs and/or distributes typefaces; a type manufacturer. The name originated in the days of metal type when type was made from molten lead. FontShop.com carries fonts from over 80 foundries.

FR (Frühneuhochdeutsch)

(appended to a font or volume name) Language support; includes all necessary accents for Middle High German.

Gadzook

An embellishment that connects the letters in a ligature but is not originally part of either letter.

Glyph

Every character in a typeface, (e.g: G, $, ?, and 7), is represented by a glyph. One single type design may contain more than one glyph for each character. These are usually referred to as alternates.

Gr (Greek)

(appended to a font or volume name) Language support; includes the greek alphabet and all necessary accents for Greek.

Grotesk

The common German name for sans serif faces, as opposed to “Antiqua” which means serif face.

Hairline

The thinnest stroke in a typeface design with strokes of different width.

Guidelines added to a font to help it print and display more consistently at small sizes. Most fonts contain some form of hinting, ranging from very cursory to very thorough. Hinting is a very time-consuming process. Man-made hints usually are of better quality than automatically generated hints.

An intermediary style between oldstyle figures and lining figures, hybrid figures are somewhat smaller than the capital letters and have a consistent body size, yet some parts extend slightly upwards and downwards. Hybrid figures usually are tabular.

To avoid clogging by ink build-up, (usually sharp) corners are opened up so they can literally trap excess ink. Although originally ink traps were strictly functional, designers occasionally use them as a formal design trait – see for example Amplitude.

Italic

A (mostly) slantedtype style which takes its basic shapes from a stylized form of handwriting, and is usually narrower than its roman counterpart. Italics are commonly used for emphasis in text. They are primarily found in serif designs, while obliques originally were associated with sans serifs.

Kerning refers to the horizontal space between individual pairs of letters (a kerning pair), and is used to correct spacing problems in specific letter combinations like “VA”. Well-spaced fonts need comparatively less kerning pairs. Fonts that are properly kerned appear evenly spaced without large open gaps of white space between any two characters.

Its original meaning is increasing the vertical space between lines of metal type by literally inserting lead strips. In the digital age it now means the vertical space between lines of text, from baseline to baseline. Also known as linespacing.

Special characters that are actually two letters combined into one. In cases where two adjacent characters would normally bump into each other, a ligature allows the letters to flow together more gracefully. This usually makes word shapes more aesthetically pleasing. Some common ligatures are ‘fi’, ‘fl’, ‘ff’, ‘ffl’, etc.

When ligatures are built-in as OpenType features, certain (older) operating systems and applications will not be able to access them.

Linespacing

The vertical space between lines of text, measured from baseline to baseline.

When the different figure sets are built-in as OpenType features, certain (older) operating systems and applications will only be able to access the default figures, most often the tabular lining figures. See Figuring Out Numerals on The FontFeed.

Link/Neck

The small, usually curved connecting stroke between the upper bowl and lower loop in the double-storey ‘g’.

Loop/Lobe

In a double-storey ‘g’, the loop is the enclosed or partially enclosed counter below the baseline that is connected to the bowl by a link. The enclosed or partially enclosed extenders on cursive ‘p’, ‘b’, ‘l’, and similar letters are also called loops.

Lowercase

The small letters in a typeface. The name refers to the days of metal type, as the small letters were kept in the lower part of the type case.

Midline

The imaginary line that rests on top of the body of the lowercase letters, disregarding ascenders. The distance between the baseline and the midline is the x-height.

ML (Multiple Language)

(appended to a font or volume name) Language support; includes all necessary accents and characters for additional languages (refer to the information provided by the foundry.

Monospaced

Characters designed to all have the same width, ignoring their normal proportions. Wide characters have an unusually narrow design, while narrow characters have lots of white space on both sides. This allows for neatly setting columns of text and tables, for example in programming code, accounting, etc.

A typeface that is slanted. Oblique typefaces are different from italic typefaces, in that they are mechanically sheared, then optically adjusted. Italics, on the other hand, are designed differently from upright or roman versions. They are usually narrower than their roman counterparts, and reflect more of a calligraphic sensibility than a lowercase oblique design.

FontFont offers a TrueType–flavored OpenType format called Offc (or Office). Offc fonts are ideal for users of Microsoft Office and other word processing and spreadsheet applications. They are style-linked so as best to take advantage of the applications’ style selection options. Offc fonts also offer full compatibility across platforms.

Offc fonts carry the .ttf extension.

Oldstyle figures (OSF)

Numbers that have different heights, some aligning to the baseline, some below. Oldstyle figures harmonize well with lowercase letters. Using oldstyle figures helps keep the numbers from standing out too much and disturbing the overall flow of the typography on the page. Oldstyle figures can be proportional or tabular.

When the different figure sets are built-in as OpenType features, certain (older) operating systems and applications will only be able to access the default figures, most often the tabular lining figures. See Figuring Out Numerals on The FontFeed.

OpenType

The most recent font format emerged at the beginning of the new millennium. OpenType was initially developed by Microsoft, which were later joined by Adobe. In a few years time it has become the new standard format for digital fonts. The biggest advantages shared by all OpenType fonts are their single file structure, cross-platform compatibility, and advanced typographic functionality. This means any single OpenType font file will work on both Mac and Windows systems, and some OpenType fonts include expanded character sets and special features like automatic ligatures and alternateglyphs. OpenType is the best format for most purposes. It comes in PostScript flavor (OTF) and TrueType flavor (TTF).

While OpenType fonts will work on a basic level in most any application, the advanced features might not be accessible in certain software and older operating systems. See our OpenType page for more details.

Some type designs come in different versions optimized for use in specific point sizes. Subtle variations in weight, contrast, and proportion make them as legible in small text as they are beautiful in big headlines.

A typographic unit of measure corresponding to 1/72nd of its respective foot, and therefore to 1/6th of an inch. The pica contains 12 points. The standard in contemporary printing (home computers and printers) is the computer pica (1/72nd of the Anglo-Saxon compromise foot of 1959, i.e. 4.233mm or 0.166in). At 100% zoom one computer pica corresponds to 12 image pixels on a computer monitor display, thus one computer point corresponds with one image pixel.

Pixel

Originally, this word was short for the term “picture element”. A pixel is a single rectangular point in a larger graphic image composed of many rectangular points. Computer monitors can display pictures because the screen is divided into millions of pixels arranged in rows and columns. Pixels are so close together that from a distance they appear to be connected.

Pixel fonts are modular type designs that take advantage of the pixel grid to render often very small type on screen. They are very popular in web design, but also became an aesthetic on their own.

Point

Type sizes are generally expressed in points. The point is a typographic unit of measure corresponding to 1/12th of a pica. At 100% zoom one computer point corresponds with one image pixel on a computer monitor display.

Point size

The point size of a typeface refers to the size of the body, the imaginary area that encompasses each character in a font. This is why a typeface with a large x-height appears bigger than typeface with a small x-height at the same point size.

The vectorfont that a printer uses to draw character shapes. Printer fonts (sometimes called “outline fonts”) are also used by the operating system to draw letters on the screen.

Pro

OpenType Pro fonts share the same technical specifications as OpenType Standard (Std, or simply OT) fonts, but support a broader range of languages. Standard OT fonts contain support for Western languages, while Pro fonts include Central European, and often Cyrillic and/or Greek.

Proportional figures are different from tabular figures in their total character width. They are spaced to fit together more like letters. For instance, as the figure 1 is very narrow it takes up less width than the number 6. Because their spacing appears more even, these figures are best in texts and headings where columnar alignment is not necessary. They cannot be used to set tabular matter. Proportional figures can be lining or oldstyle.

When the different figure sets are built-in as OpenType features, certain (older) operating systems and applications will only be able to access the default figures, most often the tabular lining figures. See Figuring Out Numerals on The FontFeed.

Small caps are capital letters that are approximately as high as the x-height of the lowercase letters. When properly designed small caps are absent in the selected font, many applications can create small caps by scaling down the capitals. However this makes these fake small caps too light and narrow, and they don’t harmonize properly with the lowercase. Originally small caps were only available for the roman text weight(s), but nowadays many type families also have them for the italicstyles and the bolder weights.

When small caps are built-in as OpenType features, certain (older) operating systems and applications will not be able to access them.

Spacing

Spacing refers to the distribution of horizontal space on both sides of each character in a font to achieve a balanced and even texture. Spacing problems in difficult letter combinations (exceptions) are solved with kerning. Well-spaced fonts need comparatively less kerning pairs.

Spine

The main curved stroke in the letter ‘S’ and ‘s’.

Spur

The small protruding part off a main stroke, often where a curve meets a straight stem.

Spurless

Specific type designs that have no spurs, with curves seamlessly transitioning into straight stems.

Std/OT (OpenType Standard)

(appended to a font or volume name) OpenType Standard fonts support the basic range of languages. Some foundries use the abbreviation Std, while others simply use OT. In the latter case OT identifies both the font format and the language support. Some foundries do include Central European (CE) and Turkish in their Opentype Standard fonts.

Style-linked families are fonts that are grouped together under a single item in the font menu. To access other styles in a style-linked family, use the style buttons in the application that you are using. Some applications like for example the Adobe Creative Suite don’t support style-linking, yet still conveniently list the fonts by family.

Stylistic set

In OpenTypefonts with alternateglyph shapes for certain characters, different character sets can be grouped in stylistic sets. Instead of having to manually switch individual characters, the user can select the appropriate stylistic set which has all the desired alternates.

Certain (older) operating systems and applications cannot access the stylistic sets, making only the default character set available.

An elegant extension on a letter form, either a modification of an existing part or an added-on part.

When swash characters are built-in as OpenType features, certain (older) operating systems and applications will not be able to access them.

Tabular Figures (TF)

Numbers that share identical character widths (that is, they are monospaced). Using tabular figures enables you to set columns of numbers, and have them neatly line up vertically. This is especially useful for tables, thus “tabular”. Tabular figures are usually lining, but can also be oldstyle.

When the different figure sets are built-in as OpenType features, certain (older) operating systems and applications will only be able to access the default figures, most often the tabular lining figures. See Figuring Out Numerals on The FontFeed.

The end (straight or curved) of any stroke that doesn’t include a serif.

Three-quarter caps

Slightly taller than small caps, three-quarter caps are capital letters that extend to about halfway between the x-height and the cap height. Their primary purpose is to prevent acronyms and other successions of capitals from standing out too much in text.

Three-quarter figures

Slightly less tall than lining figures, three-quarter figures are figures that extend to about halfway between the x-height and the cap height. Their primary purpose is to prevent dates and other numbers from standing out too much in text. Three-quarter figures can be proportional or tabular.

Adding space between successions of characters, as opposed to kerning which only adds space between two consecutive characters.

Translit (Transliteration)

(appended to a font or volume name) Language support; includes accented Latin characters for transliterating languages using non-Latin alphabets.

TrueType (TT/TTF)

A font format developed by Apple Systems, Inc. and licensed to Microsoft Corp. TrueType fonts are natively supported by the Windows and Mac operating Systems. On the Mac, both the printer and screen fonts are combined in a single TrueType font suitcase file.

Also called super families, type systems are collections of coordinated type families that cross type classifications, and are designed to work together in perfect harmony. They can be sans and serif companions, text and display cuts, or any other combination. The different families in a type system or super family share common character architecture, proportions, x-height, weights, and pedigree, to name a few.

See this list of Sans/Serif Companions.

Typeface

An artistic interpretation, or design, of a collection of alphanumeric symbols. A typeface may include letters, numerals, punctuation, various symbols, and more — often for multiple languages. A typeface is usually grouped together in a family containing individual fonts for italic, bold, condensed, and other variations of the primary design. Even though its original meaning is one single style of a type design, the term is now also commonly used to describe a type family (usually only with the basic styles regular, italic, bold, bold italic).

The capitals in a typeface. The name refers to the days of metal type, as the capitals were kept in the upper part of the type case.

Vector

A mathematical equation that defines a curve or straight line. These lines define the shapes of the character outlines in a font. Vector fonts are scalable without any loss of quality. The vector information is used to rasterize the characters for displaying on monitors or printing on non-PostScript printers.

Vertex

The point at the bottom (or top) of a character where two strokes meet, for example the ‘v’, ‘V’, ‘w’, ‘W’ etc.

Volume

Fonts can be purchased individually, but packages or volumes always offer the best value and performance. A font volume is a collection of fonts that are sold as a unit. This can either be a type family, part of a type family, or a collection of fonts that are stylistically or thematically related.

A single style or iteration of a typeface. Strictly speaking the term “weight” refers specifically to the heaviness of the strokes in a typeface. However, it is often used as a general term for any style: Italic, Small Caps, Bold, Light Condensed, etc.

Font format developed by Mozilla in concert with Type Supply, LettError, and other organizations for use on the web, to ensure that the text is rendered with the font specified by the author. Similar to TrueType, OpenType, and Open Font Format, but adds metadata and private-use data structures, and allows foundries and vendors to provide license information if desired.

X-height

The height of the lowercase letters, disregarding ascenders or descenders, typically exemplified by the letter x. The relationship of the x-height to the body defines the perceived type size. A typeface with a large x-height looks much bigger than a typeface with a small x-height at the same size.